Constipation?

[Hannah531]

I think my cat is constipated.
We recently switched him to wet food from wet/dry and a new brand (that he loooooves) so I expected some possible poop changes but we've been 100% on the new food for about 2 weeks and I've been adding water to it (and he drinks from the bowls around the house so I know he's not too dehydrated if at all) but he's been pooping every 3 days.
The poop appears normal, right consistency and color, nothing is stuck in it but he used to poop every day. He's also pooping less. The volume is simply less.
There has been no change in his urination habits or playing/exercise/etc.

Given the appearance and behavior I'm not inclined to worry, but 3 days seems too long.

I haven't been able to get in touch with his vet ("Oh yeah, someone will call you back...", I'm guessing the tech isn't worried about it either or they'd tell me to bring him in) about it, and again, he's been acting normal (if not more playful on the new food) and not straining when he does poop.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Depending on what food he was eating and what he is now eating, his old food could have been loaded with fillers which caused him to need to poop more frequently. Foods with less fillers could lengthen the time between poops, especially if you are saying that it is of normal consistency and color.

How old is this cat? The only reason I ask is because the older he is, the more 'history' you would have in regard to his 'frequency' and a correlation with foods he has eaten in the past.

I think I would just keep an eye on him and see if things remain stable. It could just be his new pattern with the new foods he is eating. 3 days is a little less common, but I have heard from others on this site whose cats don't go any more frequently than that.

Btw, dehydration can be checked by gently grabbing his skin at the base of his neck, if it pops back quickly that is an indicator of good hydration, if it slowly goes back in place that would be a sign of some level of dehydration.

 

[Hannah531]

Hi. Depending on what food he was eating and what he is now eating, his old food could have been loaded with fillers which caused him to need to poop more frequently. Foods with less fillers could lengthen the time between poops, especially if you are saying that it is of normal consistency and color.

How old is this cat? The only reason I ask is because the older he is, the more 'history' you would have in regard to his 'frequency' and a correlation with foods he has eaten in the past.

I think I would just keep an eye on him and see if things remain stable. It could just be his new pattern with the new foods he is eating. 3 days is a little less common, but I have heard from others on this site whose cats don't go any more frequently than that.

Btw, dehydration can be checked by gently grabbing his skin at the base of his neck, if it pops back quickly that is an indicator of good hydration, if it slowly goes back in place that would be a sign of some level of dehydration.

That was actually a primary reason we switched (the fillers) so that’s good to know!
He’s a year and a half and has never had constipation or diarrhea. (Thank goodness!)
Im definitely making a note of it. We have to also monitor his pH so I’ve been writing everything down.

Good to know about the neck! Just tested it and it plopped right back into place lol.